The Water Crisis: A Phenomenon Increasing Social Violence

The Water Crisis: A Phenomenon Increasing Social Violence

Sham Al-Mohammad – Daraa

“The dispute over water” is one of the phenomena undermining peace in the local community.

The shortage of water has caused many problems among neighbors, to the point where the dispute reached within families themselves, leading to distance, estrangement, and animosity. It may seem simple, but how many neighbors have severed ties, and how many siblings have fought over this issue?

This problem is not just occasional but almost daily. Water is a basic necessity of life and is essential for human existence. The ongoing struggle for water is due to the conditions of war that have led to the destruction of many facilities and infrastructure in the country. Continuous power outages have played a major role in affecting the water supply to homes.

Now, each individual secures their water needs in some way, without collective action, even though it is an equal need for everyone. In the Prophet’s saying: “People are partners in three things: water, fire, and pasture.” However, today, each individual provides water according to their financial capabilities. Here, the poor and the weak become victims of this equation.

In one neighborhood in the city of Daraa, a problem occurred between two families that resulted in bloodshed. The reason was a dispute over water. The first party installed a large pump to extract water at the beginning of the line, while the other party waited for the water to reach them at the end of the neighborhood at the designated time. The time elapsed, and they did not receive a single drop of drinking water, which angered and outraged them. They went to the first party to investigate, and they were met with arrogance. The first party showed that their interest comes first, and they do not care about the interests of others, leading to a brawl that escalated to the use of weapons, shedding blood, and taking innocent lives. This prompted the intervention of community leaders and neighborhood committees to resolve the dispute. They installed a monitor for the line to ensure fair distribution to all homes in the neighborhood at the specified time.

Was the cause of the problem the dispute over water? Or was it a lack of awareness of our rights and duties, and that there are matters from which everyone has the right to benefit, not limited to those who can forcibly possess them and deny them to others?

The current situation requires a lot of effort and time to secure basic needs for individuals in these difficult circumstances. However, adopting a culture of dialogue reduces conflict and violence, such as effective communication among neighborhood residents or building initiatives in addition to activating the roles of neighborhood committees and the elected building committee to find suitable solutions. Water distribution in the neighborhood should be equal, waste should be prevented, and a large tank could be installed for collective use.

But this can only happen if there is a culture of dialogue in society, and relationships are built on a foundation of cooperation and negotiation rather than conflict. Transforming a conflict from a stage of confrontation to a stage of cooperation makes all parties involved winners, fostering love and respect between them, and all parties are satisfied.

Will we ever reach a culture of dialogue and find solutions to our problems away from the approach of violence?